List of books banned by governments
Banned books are books to which free access is not restricted. The practice of banning books is a form of censorship, and often has political, religious or moral motivations. Bans on books can be enacted at the national or subnational level, and can carry legal penalties for their infraction. Books may also be challenged at a local, community level. As a result, books can be removed from schools or libraries, although these bans do not extend outside of that area. Similarly, religions may issue lists of banned books – a historical example being the Roman Catholic Church's Index Librorum Prohibitorum – which do not always carry legal force. Background "Almost every country places some restrictions on what may be published, although the emphasis and the degree of control differ from country to country and at different periods (1966)."[http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/censorship-of-books/1 A.H. McLintock, An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand: Censorship of Books] There are a variety of reasons for which books may be banned. Materials are often suppressed due to the perceived notion of obscenity. This obscenity can apply to materials that are about sexuality, race, drugs, or social standing. Governments have also sought to ban certain books it perceives to contain material that could threaten, embarrass, or criticize it. Other leaders outside of the government have banned books, including religious authorities. Church leaders who prohibit members of their faith from reading the banned books may want to shelter them from perceived obscene, immoral, or profane ideas or situations. But even religious materials have been subject to censorship. For example, various scriptures have been banned (and sometimes burned at several points in history). The Bible, and other religious scriptures have all been subjected to censorship and have been banned by various governments. Similarly, books based on the scriptures have also been banned, such as Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You, which was banned in the Russian Empire for being anti-establishment. List of banned books A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z See also * Areopagitica: A speech of Mr John Milton for the liberty of unlicensed printing to the Parliament of England * Book burning * List of book burning incidents * Censorship * International Freedom of Expression Exchange * List of authors and works on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum * List of authors banned during the Third Reich * List of banned films * List of banned writers * List of most commonly challenged books in the U.S. * List of books banned in Iran Further reading *''Banned Books'', 4 volumes, Facts on File Library of World Literature, 2006. **''Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds'' ISBN 0816062706 **''Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds'' ISBN 0816062692 **''Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds'' ISBN 0816062722 **''Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds'' ISBN 0816062714 References External links * Banned cartoons * Book Burning * Banned books online * Beacon For Freedom of Expression's list of 14,499 South African banned books and newspapers 1950 - 1994 * pre-1945-books banned in East Germany (in 4 volumes, roughly 30000 titles) * New Zealand office of censorship * Australia classification board * 10 Flashlight Worthy Books People Most Want Banned - slideshow by The Huffington Post Category:Censorship Category:Freedom of expression Category:Lists of books Category:Lists of controversial books Category:Human rights-related lists Banned books